Cannot change publication logo or newsletter header image (Ghost 6.25.1, self-hosted)

Bugs
1

Issue Summary

Unable to change existing uploaded images in Ghost admin settings.

Specifically:

  • Design → Brand → Publication logo and cover image are visible but not clickable or editable

  • Settings → Newsletters → Design → Header image cannot be changed (no usable upload control appears)

Image uploads work normally in posts and tags, so this appears limited to settings-level images.

What did you expect to happen?

Clicking on the existing image should allow me to replace it or upload a new image, consistent with other parts of Ghost (e.g., posts and tags).

Steps to Reproduce

  1. Go to Ghost Admin

  2. Navigate to Settings → Design → Brand

  3. Attempt to click on the Publication logo or cover image
    → No response, cannot edit or replace

  4. Navigate to Settings → Newsletters → Design

  5. Attempt to change the Header image
    → No upload control appears and image cannot be changed

Setup information

Ghost Version
6.25.1

How did you install Ghost?
Self-hosted using Ghost CLI on a DigitalOcean droplet

Hosting & Operating System

  • DigitalOcean droplet

  • Ubuntu 22.04 LTS

  • Nginx reverse proxy

Database type
MySQL 8

Browser & OS version

  • Microsoft Edge (latest) on Windows

  • Also tested in Chrome (same issue)

  • Also tested in private/incognito mode

Relevant log / error output

Ghost logs show normal operation and successful API responses during testing (200 responses). Example:

GET /ghost/api/admin/settings/?group=... 200
GET /ghost/api/admin/users/me/?include=roles 200
GET /ghost/api/admin/site/ 200

However, browser console consistently shows:

Failed to load resource: the server responded with a status of 403
Authorization failed

Additional context

  • User role is Owner

  • Issue persists after clearing cache, cookies, and restarting Ghost

  • Uploads work normally in posts and tags

  • Issue appears isolated to admin UI for settings images

2

I just updated to 6.25.1, and I’m not seeing this. (I tried the cover image.) Chrome on Windows 11 here also.

The 403 error can appear if you’re logged out… although that doesn’t sound like that’s the case here?

If you look in your Ghost logs (in the droplet), do you have any errors there?

3

Thanks Cathy.

I’m still seeing the issue on both Edge and Chrome on Windows 11. It affects:

• Design → Brand → publication logo / cover image
• Settings → Newsletters → Design → header image

In all cases, the existing image is visible but not clickable or editable.

A few additional observations:

• Uploading images works normally in posts and tags
• I previously saw repeated 403 / “Authorization failed” messages in the browser console
• I checked Ghost logs on the droplet and did not see a clear application error tied to these screens
• Self-hosted on DigitalOcean (Ubuntu 24.04), Ghost 6.25.1 behind Nginx

The issue appeared immediately after the Ubuntu upgrade.

If helpful, I can share:

• browser console output
• relevant Ghost log snippets
• screenshots of the unclickable image fields